Right On Cue
by RedHairedMermaid
Summary: Tifa felt she was fighting for a lost man...' An angsty side to Cloud and Tifa's relationship. Tifa tells Cloud some home truths. Cloti one shot. Not a fluffy fic, but shows Cloud and Tifa's feelings.


**Note: I suddenly had a random urge to write something non-fluffy. I always find angst easier than fluff, don't know why. Anyway, I've only seen the film once and never played the game (don't have any game console thing) so I apologise if the characters are a bit OCC, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.**

**Reviews would be appreciated, let me know what you guys think.**

It was a bright, cheerful day outside, a stark contrast to the mood inside the house. Denzel and Marlene were outside enjoying the sunshine. Tifa was sat at her desk, a pen idly hanging in her fingers. Cloud had been on a delivery recently and it had resulted badly. When he arrived a fight was occurring between to rival families and a young boy had been injured. Cloud had tried to help, but the boy got hurt worse because of it. The boy survived but Cloud had once again retreated back into his shell. Worse still he had begun to be distant from Denzel, which Tifa knew hurt Denzel greatly.

Lost in her thoughts Tifa stared out at the blue sky. It felt wrong, for the world to be so cheerful while her family was so grim. She was beginning to reach the end of her rope. She loved Cloud, she was always there for him but there were moments when Tifa felt she was fighting for a lost man.

Right on cue, as she was thinking about how to speak to him she heard his footsteps on the stairs. Standing up from her desk she saw him enter his bedroom. She lingered for a moment outside his door before knocking gently. There was no response but she opened the door anyway. Cloud was stood with his back to her, his hands unbuckling his sword belt. A small movement of his head was the only acknowledgement he made to her presence.

Tifa stepped into the room.

"Cloud," she began. He kept his face from her, but was listening to her as she continued. "Cloud, how long are you going to avoid Denzel? It hurts him." Her words reached his ears but once again he made no comment. Instead he moved around the room removing various effects from his body. He stopped however when he heard Tifa's voice rise as she finally lost patience with him.

"Dammit Cloud, stop ignoring us. Stop ignoring me! You may not think it hurt's but it does. Every time you block me, every time you shut me out, push me away. And the kids as well." Her calm demeanour had broken along with her patience with him and some honest words which she had wanted to tell him but never would because of his damaged state came pouring out. His hurting her she could usually handle but she couldn't tolerate him hurting the kids.

"You're not the only one who is affected by what happens around her. We all feel the pain, the loss of losing people we love, but that doesn't mean we wallow in self pity." She broke off in an attempt to calm down. When she spoke next her voice was calmer but maintained an edge. "I couldn't help save her, but I can help you. But I can only do so if you let me."

Tifa lowered her head and looked down at the ground. Her voice became quiet, sounding weary. Cloud thought he also heard defeat.

"Cloud, please, just let me in."

He didn't look at her. Her words had pierced him and he wasn't sure if he could face her. He had wanted to shut out her words, knowing them to be true. To rebound them off of him like he had down so in everything in his life previously but he couldn't. Tifa's voice had embedded itself in his mind and the words continuously replayed in his mind, particularly her last words, which had caused a painful jolt in his heart.

He wanted to. He ached to let her in, to divulge in her his thoughts, his fears, his love, but it was hard. He had let down so many people in the past he couldn't bear the thought of letting her down to, for her to think he was weak. It was a thought almost as unbearable as the thought of losing her.

Lost in his internal conflict Cloud hadn't noticed Tifa leave. He looked up to see his door ajar. Slowly he stood and walked towards it. The sound of voices outside stopped him and he looked out of the crack. Denzel was stood talking to Tifa.

"Is Cloud okay?" He asked.

"He's fine. He's just been under some pressure lately."

"Can I go talk to him?"

"Maybe later." Tifa smiled at Denzel forcing it to be genuine.

Tifa sent him back outside. With a pained look in his eyes Cloud closed his door, unaware of the pair of eyes with the same expression watching him do so.

Tifa sat behind the bar. Her hands were clasped, her lips pressed against them. She hadn't seen Cloud since their conversation a few hours ago. Sighing Tifa looked over at the window. What she saw made her sit up and stare in curiosity. Cloud was speaking to Denzel. The young boy was looking up at Cloud a smile on his face. Tifa watched as Cloud placed an affectionate hand on Denzels' head before the young boy ran off to join Marlene again.

Watching the young boy run off Cloud sighed, a sense of ease settling over him. Tifa's words had penetrated him and knowing she was right had set out to make amends. He had been hurting Denzel and that was the last thing he had wanted. He would never deliberately hurt his family.

Turning round he caught eye contact with Tifa through the window. She had been watching. Maybe that would make it easier.

As he headed towards the door Tifa moved round to the front of the bar top. She stood one hand resting on the surface, eyes watching him as he entered. They stood staring at each other for a few moments, neither of them knowing where to begin. Finally Tifa broke the silence.

"What did you say to Denzel?"

"The truth." Cloud's voice was quiet but it held conviction. He knew he needed to talk to Tifa and if he did he was going to do it right. Tifa held his gaze, urging him to continue. "I told him I had been distant lately, that it had nothing to do with him … and that I was sorry." Cloud walked towards Tifa as he spoke and stopped when he was a metre in front of her. "I'm sorry Tifa."

His voice was barely above a whisper but she heard him clearly. Her chest was aching, and she knew the source to be her heat. She smiled, recognising his sincerity, but as she did she felt it to be fake, the same kind of smile she gave to Denzel earlier. The smile did not reach her eyes. She wanted to believe him, and normally she did, but every time he apologised the words sounded more and more empty and with no meaning behind them. However, as always she smiled.

"I know."

"No," Cloud responded. He had seen the look in her eyes, the way her smile didn't light up her face as it usually did. He needed her to know, to understand that he needed her. To have her lose faith in him, to not trust him tore Cloud up inside. She was his stability; she was his reason for fighting. Tifa held his heart and though she didn't know it, she had the power to break him through so much as a look or word. Her words had come close to doing so today and Cloud knew he had to mend their rift. He needed her smiling eyes upon him.

"You don't know Tifa. I would never do anything to harm Denzel or Marlene. They're my family, and so are you. Tifa, never in my life would I do anything to harm you. I …" Cloud's voice caught in his throat before he finished. The words still rang in his mind though … _'I love you'._ He couldn't bring himself to say it. He yearned to, he could feel the words burning his tongue but for some reason something within him prevented the words from coming out.

In the process of his speech he had moved closer to Tifa and his hands were placed on her shoulders lightly. Now his head dropped to face the floor and a defeated sigh escaped his lips.

Tifa had studied Cloud while he spoke and her own desire for him had increased as it always did when he moved closer. Fighting off her impulses Tifa reached up and placed a hand on his cheek. Cloud looked up at the touch, his stomach jolting and sending shivers through his body. Her eyes held the warmth that was usually there and Cloud felt relieved that she was looking at him like that again. Raising his hand Cloud placed his over Tifa's where it rested against his cheek.

"I know." She said again. With that she rested her forehead in the crook of his neck and wrapped her arms around his neck. Though she didn't know why he broke off she had understood the look on his face. It was all there in the way his face held a slightly pained expression at the thought of is family coming to harm and the longing in his eyes. She knew that was the most she could expect from him, and though she longed for something more she would remain content with what she had, for now.

Holding her tightly to him Cloud placed a hand at the back of her neck, not letting his mind travel past that moment, holding her close to him feeling her warm body pressed against his. He closed his eyes and a small resentful smirk appeared on his face as he thought to himself,

'_No, you really don't.'_

**RHM**


End file.
